Outlet box installation



March 23, 1943.

J. G. KNIGHT OUTLET BOX INSTALLATION 5 Filed April 29, 1940 INVENTORJada/z Gordon BY ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE OUTLET BOX INSTALLATION Julian Gordon Knight, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application April 29, 1940, Serial No. 332,166

1 Claim.

A common practice in connection with concrete floor constructions is tomount the electric outlet boxes with attached interior electric conduitsin the proper positions in respect to the base boards of the wallsbefore the concrete is poured for the floor. It is therefore importantthat these outlet boxes be adequately and firmly supported and beproperly and accurately positioned with respect to the future floorlevel and wall facing.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a comparativelysimple, strong, rigid outlet box support means, inexpensive tomanufacture, easily set up in position, and serving to effectively holdthe box firmly in required accurate position during the pouring of theconcrete and against the tilting action of the electric conduitsconnected thereto.

Another object is to provide a simplified installation for holding theelectric conduits leading to the outlet box firmly in proper spacedrelationship near the floor level, and in proper position with respectto the outlet box and the concrete floor.

Another object is to provide a wall outlet box installation, in whichthe number of bends in the conduits connected to said box is reduced toa minimum.

Various other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing particular description and from an inspection of theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation partly in section of an outlet boxinstallation in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention,said installation being shown prior to the pouring of the floor concreteor the plastering of the wall, the floor level, wall facing and baseboard being shown in dot and dash lines.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sections taken on lines 2-2, 3-3 and 44 of Fig. 1respectively,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of an installation showinganother form of box support means embodying the present invention, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front elevation partly in section of aninstallation having still another form of box support means embodyingthe present invention.

The invention is shown applied to that type of building construction, inwhich there is a form I U of wood, steel or other material on which thefloor concrete is to be poured, and above which are the usual series ofreinforcing rods ll, only two of which are shown. A standard wall outletbox 12 having conventional knockout holes l3 for receiving the electricconduits is supported above the concrete floor level A, and flush withthe wall plaster line or facing B. Two of the knockout holes in thelower box wall [4 have respectively connected thereto by any suitablemeans such as lock nuts l5 and 16 two electric conduits l'l, extendingsubstantially parallel from said box down below the floor level A, andthen branching out laterally in opposite directions a short distanceabove the bottom of said form. The laterally extending sections of theelectric conduits l'l are shown resting on the reinforcing rods H, andsecured thereto by wires l8.

As an important feature of the present invention, the outlet box 12 isaccurately and rigidly supported in desired predetermined position withrespect to the prospective floor level A and prospective wall facing Bby an upright support in the form of a stanchion 20, secured at itsupper end to the lower side H.- of the outlet box between the twoconduits l1, and at its lower end to the bottom wall ID of the floorform.

As a further feature, a spacer in the form of a plate 2| is provided forholding the depending parallel sections of the conduits I! in spacedrelationship substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of thestanchion 29. For that purpose, the plate 2! has a pair of holes 22 forreceiving the conduits l1, and a central hole 23 for receiving thestanchion 29, and is supported on the bends of said conduits below thefloor level A, so that it will eventually be firmly embedded in theconcrete floor.

As far as the broad aspects of the present invention are concerned, thedetails of the box support stanchion may take various forms. Forinstance, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the stanchion is adjustable to varythe height of the outlet box 52, and for that purpose comprises a rod 25secured at its upper end to the lower side of said box, and telescopedin a vertical tubular rod 26 rigid at its lower end with the form wallIn. A set screw 21 threaded in this tubular rod 25 and bearing againstthe inner rod 25 serves to hold the two rods in relative adjustedtelescopic position in accordance with the desired elevation of the boxl2.

At the upper end, the inner support rod 25 is shown connected to theoutlet box by means of a pair of lock nuts 28, threaded on said rod andbearing against opposite sides of the lower box wall l4. As anotheralternative form, the hole in the box wall I4 for receiving the rod 25may be punched out in such a way as to form a burr or sleeve, which maybe threaded to receive the rod, an ordinary lock nut on said rod beingemployed to prevent said rod from becoming loose in said sleeve.

The specific means shown in Figs. 1 to 4 for affixing the lower end ofthe tubular rod 25 to the form wall I comprises a base member 3D,secured to said form wall by nails or screws 3i, and having a hollowboss 32 in the form of a sleeve. Firmly secured to the lower end of thetubular member 26 as for instanc by press fitting is a pin 34, threadedinto the boss. The

lower end of the tubular rod 26 bearing against the boss 32 serves as alimiting stop in this position of the tubular rod.

As another alternative manner in which the stanchion can be secured tothe form, the base may be in the form of a fiat plate, and the lower endof the stanchion screwed or threaded in said plate.

In order to prevent the rotation of the two conduits about the support20, and the consequent twisting or tilting of said conduits with respectto the outlet box, the hole 23 of the spacer 2| and the section of thesupport 23 passing through said hole may be of interlockingconformation. The spacer 2| will be thereby held against rotation withrespect to the support 29, and the two conduits I! will consequently beheld against twisting or turning with respect to said support.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the tubular rod 26 is rectangular incross-section, and the spacer hole 23 is also of the same shape, so thatthe spacer cannot rotate on the rod.

Fig. 5 shows an alternative manner in which the rod 2511 may be securedto the lower side H of the outlet box. In this construction, the top ofthe rod a bears against the underside of the box wall 14, and is securedto said wall by a screw 36 passing therethrough and threaded axiallyinto said rod.

In many constructions it is not necessary to make the box supportadjustable, and in that case the stanchion may consist of a single roundrod or fiat bar extending the full distance between th box l2 and thebase on the form wall H).

In Fig. 6 is illustrated another form of stanchion, comprising a fiatstrip of metal 31, re-

versely bent to form a pair of opposed legs 38, and having its ends 40bent outwardly to form a base. This base is secured to the form wall I!)by means of nails or screws 39, while the middle portion is shownsecured to the lower side of the box by means of a screw bolt 4|,although a rivet may also be used for that purpose.

As another alternative form, the stanchion may comprise two half roundbars, juxtaposed to receive at their upper ends lock nuts on oppositesides of the box wall 14, while their lower ends are spread apart toform a base. As another form, the two half round bars may have theirupper ends welded together to receive a screw for attachment to thelower box wall 14 as shown in Fig. 5.

As another example, the stanchion may take the form of a pair ofjuxtaposed half round bars or fiat strips, having their upper endsspread outwardly and secured to the box wall I4 by screws or rivets, andtheir lower ends spread outwardly to form a base.

The setting up of the outlet box as described can be done quickly andconveniently, and the proper positioning of the outlet box IE isassured, regardless of any tendencies of the conduits I! to swing thebox forwardly or sidewise from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Inset-up position shown, the outlet box i2 will extend a predetermineddistance above the prospective fioor level A, and will have its openside flush with the prospective plaster wall facing or line B. After thebox i2 has been installed as shown and described, t -e concrete ispoured over the form and later the floor finishing layer is added up tothe level A. When the concrete hardens, the lateral sections of theconduit [7, the lower section of the box support 20 and the spacer 2|will be firmly embedded in this concrete and thus held against movement.The wall can then be plastered up to the level B, and the usual baseboard C installed around the margin of the room.

When the form [0 is removed from the concrete flooring, the lower endsof'the nails or screws 3! projecting downwardly may be cut off or bentover before plastering or otherwise finishing the lower surface of thefloor in case no partition wall is present directly below the one havingthe outlet box.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope of the claim, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

An electrical installation comprising an outlet box having an open face,a back wall and a peripheral wallhaving spaced openings on one sidethereof, and a longitudinal stanchion secured at one end thereof to saidside between the spaced openings and disposed entirely within th planarprojections of said open face, said back wall, and of the ends of theoutlet box; the cross sectional dimensions and shape of the stanchionbeing such as not to interfere with the securement of electricalconduits to the box at said spaced openings, whereby said stanchion maybe;

supported on and secured at its other end to the upper surface of afioor form and vertically upturned ends of electrical floor conduits maybetion and conduits with the open face of the outlet box substantiallyflush with one face of a wall.

JULIAN GORDON KNIGHT.

